MG TD

Few sporting cars have enjoyed the lasting popularity or exerted as strong an influence as the MG T-Series roadsters. Beginning with the TA in 1936, these light and attractive cars opened a new world of affordable enjoyment for auto enthusiasts, particularly the many former GIs who first encountered them during wartime.

The TD appeared in 1949, specifically for the U.S. export market, with carefully improved handling and left-hand drive. In particular, the TD featured a much stiffer welded chassis derived from the Type Y saloon with box-section side rails, a fully independent front suspension with precise rack-and-pinion steering, and new 15-inch pressed steel ventilated wheels. The TD also retained the engine and transmission of the TC, as well as its classic body, which was slightly widened and easily identifiable with the addition of front and rear bumpers.

The new TD appealed to an even larger market than the prior TC, with nearly three times as many sold during a four-year production run. In 1953, Britain’s Autocar wrote, “the feel of the car on the road inspires confidence and there is the impression that even an indifferent driver could make a good showing behind the wheel; however long the journey, the actual driving of the car is beguiling all the way.”

This car was auctioned off by RM Auctions in October of 2010 at the Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pennsylvania and in March of 2011 at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida.